Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Sundstrand Corporation

Jeffrey M Makulec

Matthew Allen Slayter

David J Zawilinski

Bradley Thomas Ryan

Brian Kent Rockwell

Keith E Short

Dean A Norem

Yiwei Jiang

John T Buford

Thomas Jakab

Jeffrey A Stadler

Michael F Cass

Charles E Long

Jody A Peterson

Matthew Gorajski

John T Pech

William C Trommer

Marc Westen

Gregory W Vermillion

A starter configured for use with a turbomachine includes a housing defining a cavity, a transmission operative to convert an airflow into rotational motion for starting an engine, wherein the cavity is configured to hold a quantity of starter oil for lubricating at least a portion of the transmission, and an oil filter disposed in fluid communication with the starter oil.

Turbomachine starter oil filtration system

A planet gear for use in an air turbine starter is formed of a first part having a set of gear teeth at a first axial location. A shaft extends axially away from the first set of gear teeth. A second part is interference fit on the first part, with the second part having a second set of gear teeth. The second part is mounted on the shaft of the first part. An outer diameter of the shaft is selected to be significantly larger than an inner diameter of a cylindrical portion of the second part which is interference fit on the shaft. A ratio of the outer diameter to the inner diameter is between 1.0005 and 1.0100. A planetary gear system, an air turbine starter and a method of installing a planet gear are also disclosed.

Planet gear for air turbine starter system

A connection for a rotating machine according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes an interface axially between and adjacent to a first interference fit and a second interference fit.

Interface with mount features for precise alignment

A vane profile section for an air turbine starter includes an airfoil which defines an airfoil profile section through a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoil profile section defined by a set of X-coordinates and Z-coordinates.

Air turbine starter turbine nozzle airfoil

A gear cage assembly configured to support a plurality of planet gear in an air turbine starter is provided including a main plate and a back plate. The main plate includes a plurality of legs that extend from a first surface. A pin protrudes from a one of the plurality of legs. A plurality of shallow openings formed in the first surface extends over only a portion of a depth of the main plate. The back plate includes a plurality of bearing holes substantially identical to the plurality of shallow openings. A biasing mechanism and at least one alignment feature protrude from the back plate. The at least one alignment feature and the biasing mechanism are configured to contact at least one of the plurality of legs. A bushing mounted within the back plate is configured to receive the pin.

Air turbine starter matched set gear cage alignment feature

An air turbine starter is provided and includes a rotor including turbine blades, which is rotatable about a rotational axis, a housing including a portion thereof radially surrounding the turbine blades to define a pathway along which fluids flow to interact with the turbine blades and a containment ring affixed to an exterior of the portion of the housing radially surrounding the turbine blades.

Air turbine starter

A clutch assembly includes a shaft, vent plug and oil guide sleeve. The shaft includes an internal cavity, first passages for allowing oil to lubricate clutch components, and second passages for allowing excess oil to drain from the internal cavity. The vent plug has a radial passage in communication with the internal cavity for venting the cavity with an external source of air. The oil guide sleeve directs oil into the internal cavity. A method for lubricating and venting an air turbine starter includes delivering lubricating oil to an internal cavity of a clutch via an oil guide sleeve. The oil guide sleeve prevents oil from exiting the cavity through excess oil drainage passages before it lubricates the clutch components. The method also includes draining excess oil from the cavity through excess oil drainage passages so that excess oil does not substantially impede air flow through a vent plug passage.

Air turbine starter and method for venting without loss of oil

A blade profile section for an air turbine starter includes an airfoil which defines an airfoil profile section through a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil profile section is defined by a set of X-coordinates and Z-coordinates defined in any of Table I, Table II, Table III or Table IV scaled by a desired factor. The X-coordinate is the tangential direction, and the Z-coordinate is a axial direction between the leading edge and the trailing edge.

A blade profile section for an Air Turbine Starter includes an airfoil which defines an airfoil profile section through a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil profile section is defined by a set of X-coordinates and Y-coordinates defined in any of Table I, Table II, Table III or Table IV scaled by a desired factor. The X-coordinate is the tangential direction, the Y-coordinate is the axial direction, and the Z-coordinate is a radial direction between an airfoil root and an airfoil tip.

Air turbine starter turbine blade airfoil

A vane profile section for an Air Turbine Starter includes an airfoil which defines an airfoil profile section through a leading edge and a trailing edge, the airfoil profile section defined by a set of X-coordinates and Y-coordinates.

An inlet housing assembly for an Air Turbine Starter includes an outer flowpath curve of an inlet flowpath defined by a multiple of arcuate surfaces in cross-section.

Air turbine starter inlet housing assembly airflow path

A planet shaft for supporting a planet gear has a supporting portion extending along a central axis and having a first outer diameter. A flange is formed at one end of the supporting portion, which has a smaller section formed about a portion of a circumference around the central axis, and an enlarged portion extending away from the central axis for a greater distance than the smaller portion. A hole to receive a lock member is formed in the enlarged portion. A planetary gear assembly including such a planet shaft is disclosed as is an air turbine starter including the planetary gear system. Further, a method of installing a planet gear and planet shaft is also disclosed and claimed.

Planet shaft retention in planetary gear system

A turbine balance assembly has a turbine rotor and shaft. Bearings are positioned radially outwardly of the shaft. A bearing sleeve is positioned radially outwardly of the bearings, and supports the bearings. The bearing sleeve extends along an axial length defined by a rotational axis of the shaft, and has a turbine rotor end adjacent to the turbine rotor, and a remote end. A radially outwardly extending flange on the bearing sleeve extends radially outwardly of a support portion of the bearing sleeve at the turbine rotor end. The flange has a nominal outer diameter, and includes a slot for receiving an anti-rotation tab from a gear cage over a first circumferential extent. A bearing sleeve incorporates the anti-rotation feature, and a gear cage incorporates its portion of the anti-rotation feature. An air turbine starter, and a method of installing components of a turbine balance assembly are also disclosed.

Anti-rotation feature for air turbine starter

An accessory gearbox system for a gas turbine engine includes an accessory compressor mounted to a gearbox housing. The gearbox housing defines a seal air core, and the gearbox housing communicates a seal airflow through the seal air core.

Accessory gearbox system with compressor driven seal air supply

A sleeved boiler-reactor provides enhanced nucleate boiling and reduced risk of film-boiling within boiling tubes of the boiler-reactor, in the same manner as prior boiler-reactors of seam-welded construction, without the high fabrication cost incident with seam-welding, through the use of a closely wound helical shaped boiling tube structure constrained by lugs against a sleeve portion of the casing of the boiler-reactor.

Growing community of inventors

Rockford, IL, United States of America

Jeffrey M Makulec